County Judge Pushes for Funding Plan After 3 Years
Written by admin, Jul 18, 2016, Comments Off
Courtesy Marah Mendez,
Transportation infrastructure continues to be top priority in Webb County and after 3 years of dialogue, Webb County in conjunction with the City of Laredo, passed a funding plan that allocates funding for the construction of two additional overpasses along State Loop (SL) 20. Chief Executive Administrator, Lalo Uribe and Webb County’s engineering consultant successfully developed the schematic, environmental, and finalized 100% Plans Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E) for the SL20 Overpass at I-35. The funding plan will utilize TxDOT funds, not local LUTS-MPO funds and construction will begin in January of 2017.
Webb County Judge, Tano Tijerina placed an item on the July 18, 2016 Laredo Urban Transportation Study Metropolitan Planning Organization (LUTS-MPO) Policy Committee meeting for possible approval. “It is important that we be proactive when it comes to transportation infrastructure,” said Tijerina. Tijerina motioned to approve the funding plan to construct the SL20 Airport Overpass by late 2017 and construction for Jacaman overpass by late 2019. This plan was approved by unanimous vote. Following the same methodology, the entire SL20 overpass can be under construction by 2023.
“It is clear that Webb County has been without a funding plan for far too long. Today’s action showed that both governing bodies are getting serious when it comes to our transportation infrastructure,” said Tijerina. The plan approved represents the most aggressive plan of action to make projects along SL20 corridor shovel ready and leverage real locally directed federal and state monies to expedite construction.
